Photographer's Note

Well, I'm back from my holiday in Cuba, and i wanted to say i've had a wonderful trip!

Such warm people, friendly, and seemingly forever socializing.

This is a very common street scene in Havana. You'll see friends and family sitting outside on the front steps of their Casa, just spending time together and relaxing at a slow pace.

The men were willing to have their photo taken, I approached them and asked, they all agreed. Even though they may not be smiling in this shot, we all had a great time, laughing, joking, talking about Canada....I just enjoyed the mood of this scene, especially the younger boy in the middle.

I know the lighting is not to my advantage here, as we're all in the shade, but I hope you can look beyond that as there's not much I can do.

You can approach anyone in Havana, and they'll be more than happy to have their photo taken. So I hope to surprise you with many 'people' photos for a change :)

But don't worry, there's still many scenes of architecture and cars, they'll just be combined into each photo!

Hi Craig, welcome back on TE, I have just your chat and you are with a new photo! So fast this time. I could be sure that the old care will be the first. yes, I think that the people are the most interesting part there. They are posing for you very nicely, a pity that the one on the right is only half. You could ask him to move a bit.

Greetings.
An interesting and good text, given the description ...
Beautiful moment ...
Good time recording and contrast, beautiful colors.
Good work, nice place shown with the old car and people.
All the best.
Paja.

Hi Craig,
haha,I´m not surprised you´ve chosen this one for your first shot:)Knowing your liking for old cars Havana must have been a real paradise for you.
Great shot to start your new series!
And concerning the light-I don´t know why you´re not satisfied with it.In my opinion it adds a lot of charm to the scene.

A nice reporter shot. I especially like the balanced composition of this shot: the 3 men, the car, the open door with the woman and the perspective effect on the street going far.
We could notice the distortion induced by wide angle lens on the man in the corner, but I do not feel it is an issue.

Wow, that was quick! It seems like only a couple of days ago that you were saying that you were going to Cuba - and you're back home already!

From your note it sounds as though this was a great place to be able to mix with the locals, to chat and to socialise as well as to be able to explore scenes like this with less fear than was sometimes the case in parts of Chile. Nice too that the people proved so friendly and so happy to have their photographs taken.

Despite what you say about the poor light here, I think it is rather good. I think this picture would have been much less interesting if these boys and their old car had been in full sunlight - this way we still see lots of detail in the car and the people against a much brighter background. It must have been much more difficult to photograph, but I think it works very well indeed.

Good composition, fine colours and your usual exquisite technical details, but also a wonderful feeling of rapport with your subjects too!

I've missed you! I hope you had a wonderful time, but boy that went quickly. Full marks here for approaching these people and taking this excellent photo. I love how they were lazing over the classic old car, it's like an advertisement where someone has directed them to stand like that. I see what you say about the shade, but it is t too much of a problem and I think that catching the moment was far more important and you really did this so well. I reckons John tyro could sort this in his masking layers. Or there's the dodging and burning that I do rather roughly. Actually, I'm gonna have a crack at it and do a WS.

Hi Craig,excellent choice of the place for your vacation,Cuba is always in my heart,also if the things are a bit changed in the last years,i been 2 times,the second after 20 years to the first,and i seen a different life.But the old american cars are still there,and are always a great opportunity for a beautiful pic,especially with an original perspective like your with these boys around.Have a nice day and thanks,Luciano

Hi Craig
Really a very trick situation here, in terms of exposure !
But so Cuba and its clichés, old US car, people at their door.....
I like the compo here and the attitude and posture of the guys. Again a great use of your ultra wide lens
Bravo, have a nice day
patrick

hi craig, welcome back after a quick trip. must be like a dream. nice capture of the old street and old car, only the guys look new. good interaction with a wide angle. i cannot see the half figure on the right. i wonder what malgo sees.

Glad to see you back and hear you had such a good time! That's the great fun in photography. It's still exciting to return home and relive your holiday via your photographs!

You know, this is what I expected from Cuba. A friend of mine went a few years ago with just the same comments: friendly people wonderful pace of life!

The mood is superb. The men are acting like semi-professionals - yeah, we are keen to be photographed but we'll act cool about it!!
Love the scene setting, too. We can look down the street, we can look into the house, but we all know the car is the MOST precious possession!

Hey! Craig
you certainly get around mate. This looks wonderful too! The old cars are just one of the things I enjoy seeing in places like this, they are so loved and well cared for. A shot that epitomises the character and appeal of Cuba. Excellent!

Hi Craig,
For me, Cuba is all about the cars and a big smile from me as one takes pride of place here in your shot! I actually think the light and shade in this adds nice character and highlights the buildings behind very well. While the people have great poses in the scene too, giving it a very gritty urban feeling. Street,. as the youngsters might say. (man I sound OLD!!, haha)

Great shot Craig, and I'm really looking forward to seeing more from Cuba.

Hello Craig,
Welcome back from your very short trip. You did a great job here by combining car, people and houses. Very much to my liking. The wide angle and low POV gets everything into the picture in a very nice way. I made a WS to retrieve more details out of the very shady right half but then I saw JJ had already done the same, so I won't bother.
Do you speak Spanish or did they speak English?
Kind regards,
Gert

Welcome to the street photography!
you used your wide lens to have a special effect on the front of the car, and your actors behave as if you were not there, so it's rather a good mark. The picture is too dark for my taste, JJ has done a good job to improve this situation.
Did you send them the picture?
Spend a good WE
CLODO

Your back! I didn't think we'd see you until next week, so this is a nice surprise. I was just taking a quick peek on a work break and saw your notes, good to have you around again amigo!

This should be a fun trip through Cuba, seeing it through your eyes...and this is a great way to start things off. Feels very friendly indeed, this shot appears to capture that familial type of mood...just a few guys hangin' out, takin' it easy on the streets and just enjoying a lazy day. It's got character, personality, and makes it seem like we're part of the group. Really cool shot!

Cuba must be a photographer's delight Craig, the people, architecture and of course the old cars a eye candy for a lens. This shot is a good introduction to your trip. Welcome back!

The light here was challenging to say the least and I feel the shot is a tad dark in the shadow areas. Jean Jacques has managed to bring out the colours and detail in the shadows without compromising too much in the bright areas of the shot.

Of special interest to me is the use of yur wide lens in this situation, I am always a bit concerned by the distortion of figures, especially at the edges of the frame. Here I can see some distortion but it does not impact negatively in any way. Did you do any correction or is this as is?

Composition wise I really like the placement of the figures, clustered around the car they are beautifully balanced within the frame.

Well done you for having the nerve to ask for a photograph! Excellent result! Warm regards rosemary

Hi Graig,
nice the snapshot of the two native men as pose with this way leaning on the old green car.I like this very effective and so familiar scene from the streets of Cube.I like the good light and colour management as the clarity of the scene.

Regards,Danos
PS Someone can reach the top of the hill by car of walking but the distance is about 6km with a great slope.

Hello Craig,
I'm happy to see your first photo from Cuba. :-) It's so typically Cuban: the 1950's car, the socializing in the street, the large iron grilles over the windows. We can even peak into the house a bit. Yes, the lighting was difficult, but the mood is certainly there. I look forward to seeing more. :-)

Hi Craig,
A great typical shot of Cuba and its old americain cars ! I love the POV, the very well balanced composition and the way these men pose for you. Exposure was hard to manage here, but I think you could improve the picture on post processin. I tried to do it for you with Lightroom, have a look on my workshop ;)
Regards,
Olivier

well...hello
I m glad to discover your work with this pic... first of all, u did deal well with the shadow, no problem, the people are not underexposed .. but especially, what i like here is the fact u made a real street and life scene including those legendary old cars.. so bravo to go out from the path, giving a nice atmosphere to feel Cuba

Hello Craig,
Two things I really like about the shot: 1. The models' poses seem very natural and not overly orchestrated. 2. You've got a really nice wide and low POV that shows off a lot of detail of daily life in Havana. Great job in putting it all together.
Best wishes,
Caleb

Hi Craig
Bags of detail in there and unique only to Cuba that you have found interesting subjects composed so well in the frame; the charming aged street scene, pace of life is reflected vividly here and not forgetting the lovely vintage car grabbing for attention. Your perspective is great and remarkable sharpness along with its entirely relaxing tone. There's a pleasant overall exposure achieved between brightest and shadowed areas although there appears bits of over exposed spots on the walls but pleasantly viewable. This shot conveys the local flavour vividly and the curious guys intensify the composition. Superbly capture and thks for sharing, Congrats
Best regards

I'm so jealous that you have had the opportunity to travel to Cuba. I have long had it on my list of destinations. A typical Cuban scene this, both when it comes to the old car, the architecture and the people. A great daily life scene and a nice street shot. Beautiful! Thanks.

Hi Craig, very good picture of this interesting scene of everyday life, beautifully captured in this interesting image with good sharpness, depth, light and color. Very good job well done, congratulations my friend. Thanks for sharing this interesting work.

Good morning and happy start to the week.
Warm greetings from southern Spain.
Angel.

Hi Craig,
As you say the light is not optimal. But you were so close that these guys and that classic car get attention in shadow too. You really got low angle on this one and it was worth the effort.
Cuba is on my list of places to visit. It seems that this country does not change too quickly, so maybe I still have time.
Kari

Hi Craig,
so you have been to Cuba..that`s cool! I am quite sure that you had a wonderful time there. Just have a look at this scene, a nice time with the locals in interesting environments. I think the light looks natural, and it was a good idea to have them posing with this old car. Great shot!

Hello Craig,
this is very close to my idea of daily life and atmosphere in Cuba, after seeing friends' photos and listening to their stories. I like very much how you composed this photo and made the scene interesting through great details and a vibrant network of perspectives. You included a solid context for the three men and even gave us a glimpse of the house's interior. There are lovely colours and a fascinating sense of intimacy. Congratulations and thank you!
All the best, have a great day,
Ourania

The length of the street is giving depth to the composition. The presence of the people is adding life to the scene. The point of view is showing the details and colors of the 1954 Ford. Cuba is a very good place to see old american cars. Have a nice day.

Hi Craig,
This is indeed a very good street scene with the subjects conveying a very relaxed and casual mood shown by their body language. The lighting condition is perfect with me as it adds drama to the overall composition. Beautiful image and very-well captured shot!

this photo from Cuba are really great. Clarify me some things.
Is it safe took photos in Cuba?
You can walk with the camera on the hand? Or you must keet it in a bag?
You ask people before take a photo?